Important Modern and Vintage Timepieces

Hong Kong, Jun 25, 2011

LOT 474

Transience - The Earliest Known Painted on Enamel German Watch Probably Augsburg. Made circa 1670. Extremely fine and important, ?memento mori? gold and painted on enamel, pre-balance spring, single-hand pendant watch, the enamel paintings copied from engravings by Otto van Veen from ?Quinti Horatii Flacci Emblemata?, third edition, 1612.

HKD 330,000 - 550,000

USD 42,000 - 70,000 / EUR 30,000 - 50,000

Sold: HKD 400,000

C. Two-body, bassine, polychrome painted on enamel on gold, the cover painted with a scene of a man being led away from his family by death, banner ?Morte Linqunda Omnia? (through death you must leave everything), the interior of the cover painted with a bare-breasted young woman representing consolation and admonition, standing on a globe, her hands held by two hands issuing from the clouds, in the background a castle on the coast and the motto ?Alles Alles Nach Gottes Willen? (all by the will of God), the band decorated with maritime and hunting scenes, the back painted with a scene of Damocles at the feast of Dionysios and banner ?Mortis Formido? (fear of death), the interior of the case body with a very finely painted monochrome turquoise portrait of the naked Venus in the mannerist style, a formal garden in the background. D. Fire-gilded, finely engraved border with flowers and foliage, the center engraved with a castle in a river landscape, applied silver chapter ring with radial Roman numerals, half-hour divisions. Blued steel single tulip hand. M. Matte gilt full plate, fluted vase pillars, fusee with gut-line, verge escapement, steel foliot balance without spring, pierced and engraved cock with small foot secured by a screw, worm and wheel setup with steel brackets and silver scale. Diam. 34 mm.


LOADING IMAGES
Click to full view
Image
Grading System
Grade:
Case: 2

Very good
Movement: 3**

Good

Repair required, at buyer's expense
Dial: 2-10-01

Very good

Patinated

HANDS Original

Notes

The present watch is the earliest known example of a German watch with a painted on enamel case. It is also a masterpiece of 17th century enameling and is very likely to have been made in Augsburg, probably by one of the highly skilled French protestant enamellsts who were persecuted in France under Louis XIV and emigrated to Switzerland, Germany, England and Holland during the last quarter of the 17th century. Those enamelists who emigrated to Germany set up workshops in the famous clockmaking center of Augsburg and later in Berlin. The scenes of Damocles at the feast of Dionysios and Morte Linqunda Omnia are taken directly from engravings by Otto van Veen from ?Quinti Horatii Flacci Emblemata? of 1612.
Otto van Veen (called Vaenius) Born in Leiden in 1556, he was trained as a painter. In 1572 he fled with his family to the southern Netherlands. He studied under Dominicus Lampsonius in Liege, after which he left for Italy for a period of five years. He returned to Liege before moving to Brussels and finally settling in Antwerp. He became the leading painter in Antwerp, and Rubens was one of his pupils. He produced books of engravings including ?Horatii Flacci Emblemata?, ?Amorum Emblemata? and ?Amoris Divini Emblemata?. These engravings were used for copying by other artists, notably those engaged in copying in miniature for enamels. In 1612 he was appointed Master of the Archducal Mint. He returned to Brussels in 1615 where he died in 1629.
The QuintusHoratii Flacci Emblemata Printed in two separate editions in 1607. The first contained Latin texts by classical authors, particularly Horace with allegorical engravings. The second edition, also published by Jerome Verdussen, contained Dutch and French quatrains alongside the Latin and this collection of texts and engravings were recognizable as emblems. The third edition of 1612 had additional texts in Spanish and Italian.